Russia’s Massive Offensive and Signs of Military Learning

[Daily Kos Morning Roundup]( A morning roundup of worthy pundit and news reads, brought to you by Daily Kos. [Click here to read the full web version.]( - [Russia’s Massive Offensive and Signs of Military Learning]( Russia’s Massive Offensive and Signs of Military Learning, Phillips P. OBrien, Phillips’s Newsletter This week has been a fascinating contrast in reporting, and once again highlights the ease with which a particular narrative about the war can quickly spread and even start influencing debates and possibly policy. The contrast was about how to understand the obvious uptick in Russian offensive military operations, primarily around Bakhmut and Vuhledar. … All of this sounded extremely alarmist, and much of it seemed to run counter to everything that has been shown for the past year. Russian advances, when they are successful, are incremental, their losses in tanks and aircraft when they engage the Ukrainians are extremely high (especially for tanks) and so far we see no sign of successful combined-arms Russian warfighting which would allow for such an amazing reversal in the course of the war. Moreover, and I know this is my constant personal bugbear, no one bothered to analyse just how such a massive force of machines would be supplied. Once again, logistics lost out to scary hordes of Russian tanks streaking forward in the popular imagination. - [The Twilight of the Deficit Hawks]( The Twilight of the Deficit Hawks, David Dayden,The American Prospect Democrats have stopped being the willing partner in a great conspiracy to slash social insurance. It wasn’t so long ago that deficit hawkery was a dominant political identity in both parties. A significant chunk of austrian demigod Pete Peterson’s fortune was spent, and thousands of op-eds and thinly veiled news stories deployed, to convince the public that fiscal deficits are a moral crime against future generations, that government budgets must operate like family budgets, and that caring about the long-run budget picture in 2096 was more responsible than worrying about whether existing seniors have dignity in retirement and the ability to afford medications. The key to the success of this unpopular agenda was buy-in across the political spectrum. Politicians recognize that cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would be hazardous to their career health. But if both sides agreed with the proposition, they could diffuse responsibility by holding hands and plunging the austerity blade in together. The middle class would get screwed but not know who to blame. President Biden’s jujitsu this week at the State of the Union address, effectively taking cuts to Social Security and Medicare off the table in future negotiations around the debt limit, reveals how this dynamic has been ended. The deficit hawks have lost nearly all their friends in the Democratic Party, a significant sea change that makes a grand bargain to damage retirement security far less likely. - [Bad news: Daily Kos revenue is down, and we might not be able to do all we do. Good news: You are a big part of the solution, and small donors have never let us down. Donate $5 TODAY.]( - [A Huge, Uncharted Experiment on the U.S. Economy Is About to Begin]( A Huge, Uncharted Experiment on the U.S. Economy Is About to Begin, Robinson Meyer, The New York Times Few Americans realize it yet, but the trifecta of the Biden-era laws amounts to one of the biggest experiments in how the American government oversees the economy in a generation. If this experiment is successful, it will change how politicians think about managing the market for years to come. If it fails or misfires, then it will greatly limit the number of tools to fight climate change or a recession. The story of the 21st-century American economy is being shaped now. - [House Republicans launched their big investigations this week. Guess how that went]( House Republicans launched their big investigations this week. Guess how that went, Kurt Bardella, The Los Angeles Times House Republicans begin with a massive credibility deficit. A recent Navigator Research poll found that only 16% of Americans think the GOP’s obsessive investigations are important. And the Pew Research Center found that 65% of U.S. adults believe Republicans will be overly focused on investigating the Biden administration. Independent voters convened for a Washington Post focus group viewed the Republican majority’s agenda as mostly about revenge against Democrats and showed little interest in its preoccupation with Hunter Biden, the president’s son. When asked about the absurd new House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, most Americans surveyed by ABC News and the Washington Post did not find it legitimate. - [A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake has devastated Turkey and Syria: Donate to humanitarian efforts assisting survivors that are in need during this horrific time.]( - [In Trump vs. DeSantis 2024 culture war, Black and LGBTQ people will pay the highest price]( In Trump vs. DeSantis 2024 culture war, Black and LGBTQ people will pay the highest price, Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY The shape of the contest between the Republican Party’s top 2024 White House aspirants is already clear: When one goes low, the other goes lower. The GOP race so far not only turns Michelle Obama’s high-minded advice on its head, it gives new life and meaning to the phrase “punching down.” Why attack the rich and powerful, the white, the heterosexual, the Christian, the Ivy Leaguers and those who don’t have to worry about not fitting in or not being safe, when you can go after people who are simply trying to be themselves in a society that makes that uncomfortable and even dangerous? - [The old restaurant model is toast]( The old restaurant model is toast, Kerry Altiero, as told to Kelly Horan,The Boston Globe A chef poured his entire soul into his beloved Café Miranda in Rockland, Maine. Then came the ‘apocalypse’ — and a reckoning with the demands he had put on employees. But even before the pandemic, I could talk to five of my colleagues who said, “Yeah, this is beating the love out of us.” Because we don’t have the staff. We can’t attract long-term staff because we’re not giving them an equal shot economically. The model we had, in order to make as much handmade food as we could, was to work long hours and to sacrifice. To be great at something, there are prices to be paid, and we willingly paid that through divorces, addiction, and by being marginal human beings. There were a lot of great people with massive heart doing this. But that model — small profit margins, no days off, the 14-hour days, the self-indulgent rages — that model’s gone. ICYMI: Popular stories from the past week you won't want to miss: - [Marjorie Taylor Greene's State of the Union heckling made her a meme but not a winner]( - [Russia’s big new offensive is turning into another epic disaster]( - [Surveys show Biden hit the State of the Union out of the park]( Want even more Daily Kos? Check out our podcasts: - [The Brief: A one-hour weekly political conversation hosted by Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld]( - [The Downballot: Daily Kos' podcast devoted to downballot elections. 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